Ensnared
by Rebarbative
Summary: There are many ways to be trapped. But whether one is trapped through mental or physical means, one thing remains the same; The thirst for escape.
1. Toxins

**Hi guys! This is a new story that my friend and I are working on. Her penname is SaphireBethanyStaceySkyle, for those of you who want to read her other works!**

**So basically, I was scanning through the DSS&HP fictions and I found that I**_**love**_**the stories that have Darren locked in a cage. So I decided to make one of my own. With a twist. **

**Beware of spoilers. Somewhere between books 9&10 for DSS. Book 4 for HP**

**All rights go to their respectful owner. The only thing we own is the plotline.**

* * *

Chapter One:

"Toxins "

_Third Person P.O.V_

_What is a vampire? Is it an animal? Is it a human? Does it have thoughts, feelings, memories? Does it only live for blood, or does it live for something more? Is a vampire a ruthless monster, living only on instinct? Where did they come from? Are they immortal?_

These were all thoughts running through the minds of the three scouts sent on a hunt for answers. Vampires were crafty figures, forever escaping the grasp of the ministry. On one hand, they seemed like regular humans. On the other, they were purple-skinned monsters with red eyes and sharp claws. _Why _only a small part of this species was different had baffled wizards for centuries. But no longer. They would find out today. Amos Diggory could feel it in his bones. Something big would happen today.

* * *

_Darren's Point of View_

I woke up to the sound of my own screams. Another nightmare. I had been having them a lot lately. That kind of thing happens when you watch your mentor and closest friend's downfall. I fell back into my normal routine after my heart stopped threatening to burst out of my chest. After stretching, I wiped the sweat off of my face with the rag conveniently placed next to my hammock. Then I drank a glass of water to quench my dry throat. When I could talk without my voice cracking, I walked out of my tent. The day was beautiful, but I paid no mind. I simply stumbled through my chores, not noticing Mr. Tall standing behind me till I bumped into him.

"Sorry…" I mumbled, before turning to walk away.

"Wait, Darren," Mr. Tall's deep voice said from behind me.

"What?" I asked. "If the Little People are still hungry, tell them they can hunt for their own stinkin' food."

"No," he responded. "That is not why I have sought you out."

"Then what do you need?"

"I need somebody to run into town for me," he replied, black eyes not blinking. "We are running low on a few supplies, and I need someone to pick up some new ones."

By 'someone' he obviously meant me. I was in no mood to argue, so I took the paper he was handing me and scanned it. A few simple things like cups and plates were listed in Mr. Tall's small handwriting. How he could even hold a pencil, much less write such small words was beyond me.

We were only about a quarter of a mile from town, so I didn't have far to walk. I found a convenience store not far into the city and decided to check it out.

* * *

_Third Person P.O.V_

Having been searching the small town for hours, Cedilla Riddell was understandably tired. Her two other teammates had been casting a charm on practically every pale person they passed to see if they were possible vampires. None had proved to be legendary monsters yet, which didn't surprise the elderly witch. After all, most legends suggested that vampires couldn't be out in sunlight, didn't they? Personally, she thought that they were grasping for straws now. What was the likely hood that a class XXXXX beast would be lurking around a local convenient store?

So she almost didn't see the red sparks that shot out of her wand when she pointed it at a pale boy who was walking in the shadows of the alley. Almost, but not quite. Forgetting her need to be discreet, she shouted out to her companions.

"I'VE GOT ONE," she shouted excitedly. "I'VE GOT ONE!"

The boy's head whipped around in shock. With a look of horror, he realized that the woman was staring at him. He began to dash out of the alley, but he wasn't nearly fast enough. Jeremy Wilkins was standing by the edge of the road and managed to paralyze the surprised boy. He hit the ground face first, unable to put his arms out to catch himself. A loud crack sounded when he hit the ground, the concrete flooring breaking the young vampire's nose. Amos ran around from the other side of the road, huffing at the exertion. All three shared a glace before disapparating, Cedilla taking the vampire with her.

* * *

_Darren's Point of View_

I was frozen in place. Unable to move. Unable to do anything about the three strange creatures that began disappearing with loud _'pops_._'_ I flinched internally when the eldest of the three grabbed my arm. Her touch felt like any old person touches you –soft but leathery at the same time– but there was a strange tingling feeling behind it. A jolt of sorts.

Then something unexpected happened. Another jolt, this one almost painful, zapped its way through my body. A sensation like being shoved down a drain followed shortly after. With the sound of another popping noise, the feeling stopped. I was still paralyzed, but I could see that I was no longer in the alley I was in just seconds before.

Below my nose, a glossy marble floor lay for a moment, before my vision was shrouded with black. One of the strange beings had mumbled a few nonsense words and pointed a stick at my face. It seemed almost like those sticks were… _magic_. I was carried across a room, where I heard murmurers arise. _So there are people here? _I thought to myself._ Are they like the ones who captured me? _Eventually the ding of an elevator sounded. We must have boarded the contraption, because I heard the gears of the machine turning_._

A minute or so later, the elevator quit moving and I was carried out. We walked for a while longer, and passed few a through doors before the two men put me down on something cold. A table. They muttered a few more nonsense words and then the blindfold left my eyes. I reached up to touch my face, when I realized –I could move again! I attempted to jump off of the cold metal table I was on, but received a hard blow to my head when it made impact with an invisible force. It felt as if my head had been split in two. Groaning, I placed my injured head in my hands.

"You should tie him back down before he injures himself," one of my captors suggested.

"_Sile_," the female one whispered, once again rendering me immobile. "I suppose if he is frozen, that we can get rid of that shield. We need to start on these experiments soon. We still have to fill out those orders for the tournament."

"Alright, I suppose we can start on his reaction to blood intake," another voice announced, swiping his death stick near me.

"I've got the sterile syringes right here," the first voice said. "Who wants to be the test subject?"

_Test subject? What on earth is going on here?_

"I say the old hag does it," one of the men chortled. "If he goes after one of us, she doesn't have much time left here anyways."

"Shut it," the hag replied. "I'll do it since you two 'men' are such ninnies."

There was a bit of commotion and then one of the men stood over me, a needleless syringe in his hand. He forced my mouth open and pushed down the plunger on the syringe. Blood filled my mouth, along with pain. The blood felt almost _too_ hot. I swallowed, because it was either that or drown, since my mouth was being forced closed.

* * *

_Third Person Point of View_  
It didn't take long for the effects to take place. The vampire test subject begun to scream and thrash around, despite the binding spell put on him.

"Interesting reaction," noted the hag, who was jotting down notes on a clip board.

"I'll say," one of the men commented, staring at the struggling figure. While laughing, he said, "I don't think he likes it much at all!"

All of them circled around the table, writing down observations while the vampire writhed in agony. Amongst his mostly incoherent cries were names of different people. Larten, Harkat, Vancha, Annie, Steve. The scientist could make out certain Muggle curses and other unfamiliar ones.

"The curses we can't understand are probably vampire specific ones," Cedilla thought aloud.

"No shit!" cried Amos, rolling his eyes.

* * *

_Darren's Point of View_

I could faintly hear the strange beings' words over my screams of pain, which couldn't seem to stop rolling out of my mouth. I struggled to make sense of who was speaking and what they were saying, but the pain was too great. The blood was burning through my veins and making my mind foggy. My face felt too warm, my head too heavy. Vaguely, I could sense that I was shaking. The ceiling seemed to darken, slowly eclipsing over my eyes as my mind left me.

* * *

_Third Person Point of View_

The young vampire's symptoms only grew worse and worse. His eyes were dilated, his temperature several degrees about what it should be. Not a sprinkle of humanity could be seen in the eyes of the teenager as he attempted to claw his way out of his makeshift cage. The wizards were at a loss for what to do with their young subject. He seemed to understand no spoken language; no attempts to pacify him worked. They watched, completely horrified, as the boy practically shredded the rabbit they placed on his table.

The only conclusion they could reach is that the boy had just been turned. Maybe vampires lost their minds at the first taste of blood? Either way, they had a task they needed to finish before handing over the vampire, as promised. They would begin their testing as soon as they could get the creature to lie still.

* * *

**Well, there's the introduction chapter. We hope you like it! :D **

**-Blood and Guts**

**Rebarbative **


	2. One Man's Insanity is Another's Reality

Chapter Two:  
"One Man's Insanity is Another's Reality"

_If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?" -Willam Shakespeare_

They ran a series of test on him, gathering samples of his hair, skin, and blood. Their testing didn't show much, for they had never actually captured a vampire before. From what they could see, the vampire was just like any other human. Except for the fact that he had gone mad when they gave him blood. He showed no negative reactions to the ultra-violet rays they exposed him too, leading the wizards to believe that the myth of vampires fearing sunlight was just that –a myth. When they attempted to photograph him, they found that his image always came out blurry. He had no aversion to garlic or holy water, either. As far as they could tell, he couldn't turn into anything from his current form.

A few days passed with no change in the subject's behavior, which worried the wizards, because they were on a schedule. The subject continued to have violent outbursts and exhibit rabid tendencies. His fever raged on, with no sign of breaking. They again entertained the theory that this was how vampires behaved once they had their first taste of blood.

It was with a disappointed air that the ministry sent off the vampire the next week. He arrived at Hogwarts in a cage, just like all other creatures for the challenges. But unlike most of the creatures, he would not be hidden inside the maze, he would be kept out in the open until the day of the task.

The Ministry had been calling him by some random specimen number, but at Hogwarts, he would need a name. After much debate, the wizards decided to name him Bram. At Hogwarts, before the maze, Bram was to be used for classes. Different subjects would show them different bits about vampires: Care of Magical Creatures would focus on behavior, Defense Against Dark Arts would teach the students protective spells, and so on.

_Darren's Point of View_

When I woke up, my vision swam and my skin felt feverish. Incoherent sounds buzzed in  
my ears. My head was pounding and as I opened my eyes, I saw the blurry image of iron bars. Behind them, what seemed like faces drifted in and out of my vision. I struggled and fought to stay awake, but I was once again pulled under by darkness...

_Third Person Point of View_

Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, discussing the newly revealed third task with Ron and Hermione. A few students walked by, gossiping about the tournament. It came to no surprise that the school already knew the ins and outs of the upcoming trial.

"I heard that the champions were going to have to fight acromantulas in the third task," one first year said knowledgeably to her friends.

"Oh yeah?" said another, who had parents working in the Ministry. "I've heard that they're bringing in lots of monsters! Even a Sphynx!"

"A Sphynx? I heard there were going to be vampires and werewolves!" said another.

Harry groaned and placed his head in his hands –this next month would entitle a _lot _of studying. He couldn't think anymore, so he excused himself and went up to bed. Something told him this was going to be harder than he thought.

The next morning, he chewed through his breakfast as Hermione ran off a list of spells she deemed useful for the upcoming task. He vaguely listened to her, and opted out for leaving breakfast early and heading to Care of Magical Creatures.

Harry was the first to arrive at Care of Magical Creatures, where he saw Hagrid was looking at something in a cage. He stepped closer, but when Hagrid heard his footsteps, he pulled a cover over the front of the cage.

"Er," Hagrid said neverously, "Hello, Harry. How long have ya been standin' there?"

"Not long," he replied honestly. "What's in that cage?"

"Somethin' fer class, not to be worryin' about it."

Harry eyed the cage suspiciously, "Alright then, anything you need help with?"

"Now that you mention it," Hagrid replied excitedly, "the blast-ended skrewts need feedin'."

Harry reluctantly complied.

The rest of the class arrived shortly afterwards, all curious as to what was in the cage. They were momentarily distracted by a smoking Harry, who had just walked up, but when Hagrid stepped up to the cage, their gazes settled on him.

"We got ourselves a treat today. Somethin' real rare." Hagrid pulled the sheet off the cage, revealing what was inside.

At first, most students thought the cage was empty, but upon further inspection, they found a teenage boy lying on the bottom. His clothes were tattered, and he was adorned with several bruises. The feral creature seemed to be sleeping.

"Hagrid, what _is_ that?" asked Hermione.

"He's a vampire!" Hagrid boomed, face filled with an expression similar to when he had Norbert (Norberta) the Norwegian Ridgeback.

"A _vampire?_" Ron gaped at the cage. "What's one doing here?"  
"The Ministry lent him to us," Hagrid replied, happy to see the class so captivated.

"He's not really a vampire! He is right in the sun!" shouted Draco Malfoy from a pack of Slytherins in the back.

There were several murmurs of agreement and some cries that this was cruelty. The screams seemed to have woken the "vampire" up, whom after a moment of blank gazing, lunged at the cage with a ferocious snarl on his lips.

"He can be a bit testy, stay back. His name is Bram," Hagrid explained.

"_A bit?_" Ron repeated incredulously, gesturing to the snarling creature.

"Er, uh anyways," Hagrid said, scratching his beard nervously, "we are going to be studyin' him for the next few weeks."

"How are we supposed to study him if he's rabid?" asked a random Gryffindor.

"Well," he replied, looking quite like he hadn't thought this through. "We can study his habits n' see what food he likes best."

"I say the Gryffindors feed it!" a Slytherin called out. "I'm not risking _my _life!"

"Now, now," Hagrid said, "you'll all be gettin' yer chance to feed him."

The Slytherin rolled her eyes and whispered something to Draco.

"You there," Hagrid shouted at the girl. "How 'bout you go first?"

"No way! Find another chump! I _value _my life," she retorted.

"Fine," he grumbled. "Yer missin' out, though. Harry, how 'bout you come help?"

Harry groaned inwardly and glanced at Ron, sharing his exasperation with his friend. Reluctantly, he accepted a still wriggling ferret and threw it in the cage.

The vampire let out a feral growl and pounced on the animal. Then he proceeded to tear it to bits, killing it in seconds. The thing's teeth gnashed away at the meat, blood covering its face. Several of the girls screamed and some were hiding their faces from the gruesome sight. Bram munched on the ferret, as if it were a delicacy. Even some of the boys were having a difficult time stomaching the scene.

After finishing off most of the animal, Bram cackled loudly. Everyone could hear the insanity in the echoing laughter. This thing was dangerous.

Harry stared at the cage in horror. "Hagrid! How is that thing even allowed on school grounds!?"

"Don' worry," Hagrid said, trying and failing to reassure the class. "The Ministry sent him here till the... er end of the month, I suppose. He's locked up in that cage nice and tight."

Hermione seemed to be thinking over Hagrid's words carefully. "The end of the month? But isn't that when–"

Hagrid cut her off with a glance that clearly said, 'Not now.' Hermione immediately returned to her notebook, hastily scribbling in a description of the vampire's behavior. The students spent the rest of the class filling their notebooks with the information they had gained that day, occasionally sneaking glances at the vampire, who was currently chewing on a ferret bone.

…

Professor Moody was his normal, gruff, blunt self during class that day, but he seemed a bit gruffer and blunter than he usually was to the students. They had pegged it as reluctance to stray from teaching curses.

"I know that your previous instructor has already reviewed the subject of vampires with you," he boomed, "but the Ministry insists that I have to reteach this subject to –FLETCHLEY DO NOT DO YOUR TRANSFIGURATION HOMEWORK IN MY CLASS."

Justin Finch-Fletchley hastily put away his essay on invertebrate transfiguration, fearing that Moody would set the parchment on fire. The very same thought seemed to be on Alastor's mind, as he twirled his wand between scarred fingers. However, seeing that he could not do so without setting the student's entire rucksack on fire, he dismissed the thought.

"As I was saying," he continued, "I have to reteach you lot work that you already know, so I am going to skip over most of this and get to the point."

Hermione held her quill at the ready, ready to mark down any new information Moody brought out.

"Vampires are an anomaly. Practically nothing is known about these beasts, so the only way to escape one is CONSTANT VIGALLANCE."

None of the students jumped; they were used to Moody's outburst after nearly a whole year of them. Hermione's hand shot into the air.

"Yes, Mrs. Granger?" Moody said, peering at the girl with a beady, black eye.

"What spells work on vampires? Do they have any resistance to magic?"

"Well," he said, leaning on his wooden staff, "from what information the Ministry has managed to pull out of their behinds, we know that vampires react negatively to magic. A simple stunning spell will have a longer lasting effect on a vampire. It seems like a good advantage, but only _one_ vampire has ever been caught in wizarding history."

Hermione's hand flew into the air at top speed. "Is it possible that Bram only reacts because he is young?"

"That is another question I can't answer," Moody replied. "The Ministry only did a brief study on him. They ran into a few… er, difficulties when experimenting."

"Oh," Hermione said, looking thoughtful.

Moody continued with the lesson, which was uninterrupted from that point on.

…

That night Hermione paced around the girl's dormitory, thinking. She felt tied down by her lack of knowledge of vampires and the more she read about them, the more questions she had. Different books had different descriptions and facts. She had even consulted her Lockhart book, _Voyages with Vampires_, which she kept in her personal library for… nostalgic reasons. All her work was to no avail –she was just as confused as when she began her research, if not more so.

Steeling herself, she walked into the common room, where Harry was practicing jinxes on Ron. Harry looked up and Ron picked himself off the ground as she walked in.

"Ah, good," Ron said. "Now someone else can be the practice dummy."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, can I ask you a favor?"

"Er, sure," Harry complied.

"Can I borrow your invisibility cloak?" she asked. "And the Marauders Map?

"Sure…" Harry replied, scanning Hermione's face. "They're in my nightstand –second drawer."

Hermione nodded her thanks and dashed into the boy's dormitory. She lunged for the second drawer, and pulled out the silvery cloak and crinkled parchment. After the items were securely stuffed into her jacket, she ran out of the room again, back to the common room. She slowed her pace when she passed through the cheery room, so that Ron and Harry would not grow suspicious, and then walked out of the portrait hole.

Once she was out of the hole, she threw the cloak over herself, vanishing on the spot. Then she made her way outside to the clearing near Hagrid's house. Once outside, she pulled out the map.

"_I solemnly swear I am up to no good_," she mumbled, taping the parchment with her wand.

Scanning the map, she noted that Filch was near the kitchens, while Mrs. Norris was prowling the Astrology tower. She could see the little specs labeled 'Harry Potter' and 'Ron Weasley,' still in the Gryffindor common room. However, these were just names that she saw in passing. The name that really caught her attention was the one not too far from Hagid's –Darren Shan.

Storing this information in her head for later, she walked up to the gleaming cage near the forest. The vampire –Darren Shan, as she assumed– was currently stalking around his cage. Every now and then, he would leap forward and attack the bars on his cage. Hermione's eyes widened as she saw the huge chunk his teeth took out of the metal. But she grew relieved as she saw the metal regrow seconds later.

After twenty minutes of watching the vampire brutally assault the cage, she decided to return to her common room. Ron and Harry stared at her expectantly as she walked through the portrait hole. But she did not tell them any of her findings. She simply handed Harry his cloak and map, and claimed she was turning in early. Ron and Harry shared bewildered stares as they watched her climb the stairs to the girl's dormitory.


	3. The Thirst for Escape

**We do not own the Darren Shan Saga or Harry Potter. **

**Also, we would like you to know that there will not be any pairings in this story.**

* * *

Chapter 3:  
"The Thirst for Escape."

Days flew by, with no mention of what Hermione had done that night. The boys grew concerned at her secrecy. Hermione wasn't the type to break school rules, unless there was a purpose behind it. At night, in their dormitory, they would throw out random ideas, many that did not make much sense. They decided that they would confront her about it one day, if she didn't tell them soon.

Hermione knew Harry and Ron were curious, but she didn't think it was the right time to tell them. She didn't have nearly as much information as she wanted yet. At every road, she only found more questions. Who was this Darren Shan? She wondered if he had been born a vampire or if his life had been swept from under his feet like Lupin's had been. How does one become a vampire, anyways? Hermione had been taking every chance she could to visit Hagrid, searching for a way to observe the vampire further.

One thing the studious girl did notice, was that his violent outbursts were becoming more infrequent. More and more often, when she went to see Bram, –or well Darren Shan– he would just sit there and stare into space. A few times, Hermione even made eye contact. Darren would look as if he might say something for a moment, but just as quickly the look was gone. She began wondering if his rabid tendencies were only an act. But, why would he need to act this way? If he were to be more humane, he couldn't be locked up any more than a werewolf could be.

She noted each of these things in her muggle-made, spiral notebook as she leaned against a tree, gazing into the distance at the Great Lake.

"Hey 'Mione," Ron said, plopping onto the ground next to her, "What's that you've got?"

"It's nothing Ronald," she said as she hastily closed the notebook and tucked it under her arm.

"Right," he said, dragging out the vowel. "Then let me see it if it's 'nothing'."

Hermione's face burned and she hugged it to her chest. "I don't think it's any of your concern," she huffed, looking miffed.

"Well then it's not nothin' now is it? What do you have in there?"

"Not anything," Hermione corrected, trying to push the conversation into another direction.

Ron sighed and frowned at her. "Well whenever you decide to stop hiding things from your best mates, let me and Harry know."

"Harry and me..." Hermione corrected quietly to herself. This was dragging on too long. Harry and Ron had grown entirely too suspicious. Hermione needed answers soon, and the only way she could think to get them was asking the subject itself. Hermione needed to talk to Darren.

* * *

_Darren's P.O.V._

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I felt as if my head was going to explode. The second thing I noticed was that I was in a cage and that I was currently being watched. I hoisted myself into a sitting position and looked around. There was a girl with frizzy, messy, brown hair looking at me with curious eyes. I met her gaze for a moment, wondering if I should say anything. But her face was similar to the audiences' at the Cirque as they watched the wolfman; slightly fearful, slightly fascinated. I had about a million questions on my tongue, but I let none of them escape. The only sound was our breathing and the throbbing in my head.

I broke the gaze and instead looked up to at the top of my small cell. I would need more information before I could begin to think of a plan. The girl's visits became more frequent and lengthy. She would often end up scribbling things down in a notebook she carried with her. She was doing just that before she closed it and looked at him. She opened her mouth, as if she meant to speak.

* * *

_Third Person Point of View_

"You aren't a monster are you? You are intelligent and can even speak. Why don't you? Don't you want to be let out of that cage?" Hermione listed off the questions that had been prominent in her mind.

Darren blinked at her, answering at least one of her questions. He knew she was addressing him. Nevertheless, he didn't answer. Instead, he peered at her, not moving in the slightest, so she continued to ramble.

"My name is Hermione," she said. "I am a fourth year here," she continued, as if the words held some significance. "I know your name too! Darren Shan, right? It's a long story how I know. I read it on a map, but you have a name! You _have_to be able to understand me and speak," she said, trying to urge him to talk to her.

Darren, on the other hand was confused. Why would speaking get him out of this cage? His vampiric, embedded stubbornness kept him from saying anything. What if this girl was a vampet? What if they were trying to get information out of him?

"Please! I want to help you! If you can talk to Dumbledore, maybe we can learn something about your kind! If you just answered our questions, I'm sure we could come to some understanding? I can tell you aren't bad. I'm not sure why you were acting rabid... but maybe you could answer that?" Hermione was desperate for answers.

_Acting Rabid? _Darren thought to himself. When had he been acting rabid? He had no memory of such a thing. Maybe he could use the situation to his advantage. Maybe _he _could be the one gaining answers.

"Hi..." Darren's voice came out hoarse from not being properly used recently.

Hermione's face lit up. She leaned forward eagerly, writing something down without looking. Darren was briefly reminded of a television program he watched that had a psychiatrist session in it. All they needed now was a couch...

"So, you're Hermione? Mind telling me what I'm doing here?" Before Darren would answer any of her questions, she had to answer some of his.

"Er..." Hermione said, looking behind her at a large castle. "That's kind of a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere." Darren stated truthfully. He was locked in a cage; there wasn't anywhere he _could_ go. _I wonder if I could bend the bars... _he thought to himself, gaining an idea. He stood up and nearly fell back down as spots danced in front of his eyes. After a moment, his vision cleared and he took a few steps forward. Each step was misery to his head.

"Hey are you alright? You don't look well," Hermione noted as Darren stood.

_I'm weak. I need to feed, _Darren thought before saying, "Just a little shaky on my feet."

Hermione thought this was odd. He had no problems with pouncing at the cage days earlier. She was thinking this over, when she noticed that the vampire was attempting to bend open the bars of the cage.

"What are you doing?!" she shouted, growing anxious.

He didn't answer. His focus seemed entirely on bending those bars. A bead of sweat broke out on his forehead. Darren put every bit of his strength into peeling the metal apart. But, the hardest part was still to come. As he pulled the bars apart, the magic in them fought back. It was like pushing a ball onto the bottom of a pool -the farther he pushed, the harder the bars rebelled.

When the bars had opened just large enough for Darren to slip through, he squeezed himself between the two metal bars. Once he was out, he collapsed onto the ground. Hermione bit her lip uncertainly, unsure of what to do.

"Well then... that's better," Darren said from the ground, looking back at the cage and then to Hermione, smirking. "Now, again, what am I doing here?"

Hermione stared at the fallen vampire, at loss for words. "Um..." she said unsurely, hoping that Darren would not attack her. "Well, you're a class experiment?"

"Class...?" Darren said, eyebrows pinching together.

"Yes," she nodded, gaining some bravery. "Why are you laying on the ground like that?"

"Well," Darren replied irritably, "I thought this patch of grass looked comfy..."

Hermione was hesitant, but she bravely went over and offered Darren her hand. The young vampire took her hand and used it to get up. "Thanks...," he muttered.

"No problem... So, why didn't you speak any sooner? Why were you acting like an animal?"

"I don't know," he replied, seemingly honest. "I was hoping you could tell me that."

Just then, laughter rang out, far in the distance. Hermione's ears couldn't pick up the noise, but Darren's more sensitive ones could. "What would happen if other people saw me out of that cage?" Darren asked, glancing around.

Hermione stiffened. Not many students were out at this time of day, since it would be dark soon, but if someone happened to spot them, she could get into very deep trouble. "That wouldn't be good...," she said, also examining the area.

Darren nodded seriously, showing he understood. "Then I guess I need somewhere to hide. Happen to know any good places around here?"

Hermione bit down on her lip again in thought. "If I could sneak you past the Whomping Willow, you would be able to follow the path to the Shrieking Shack."

"Whomping Willow? Shrieking Shack? What are those?" Darren asked, wishing for her to explain further.

"The Whomping Willow is an enchanted tree that can swing around its limbs and cause some major damage if you wander too close," Hermione replied. "The Shrieking Shack is just an abandoned house. Some say it's haunted."

"An enchanted tree? You are joking right?" Darren asked incredulously.

"No," she said, seeming confused, "I'm afraid not. Darren?"

"Hmm?" he replied, imagining a shack yelling at any civilians that happened to tread into its yard.

"What do you know about witchcraft and wizardry?" she said tentatively.

"Well, I met a woman who could do magic once, but she didn't like being called a witch."

"That's odd... Did she have a wand?"

Darren scoffed at that. "No, she didn't." He quickly thought up the image of Evanna in her usual form, dressed in rope and carrying a wand. "Not her style, really."

"That's very curious, then. I'm not sure what magic this woman you met was doing, but it couldn't have been what we practice here."

Darren narrowed his eyes at the young witch. "Where _is_here?"

Hermione blinked. "My apologies! I can't believe I've been so daft... We're at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Hermione answered proudly.

Darren repeated the name to himself, testing it out. "So what exactly am I doing at this school? You said something about a class experiment..."

"Oh, well, the Ministry of Magic –which is like the wizard government- brought you here for us to study you. You're the first vampire that we have ever caught!"

_Way to go_... Darren thought to himself. "So what exactly were you all studying?"

"Um, eating habits, reactions, and hunting methods," she said.

Then, Darren laughed, something she wasn't expecting. "What's so funny?" she asked, slightly insulted.

"I wasn't aware my eating habits were that much different from anyone else's. Sure, I'll occasionally eat my fork on accident, but other than that..."

Hermione blinked, remembering the vampire taking large bites out of his cage. "Well," she said, also remembering feeding him a rabbit or two, "you haven't exactly... eaten normally for the past few days."

"What _have _I been eating, then!?" he asked, slightly afraid of her answer.

"Rabbits... ferrets... other medium sized rodents... all raw."

Darren thought his face must have gone green. He felt as if he were going to be sick. "Great... just great."

"Sorry! If it helps at all, you seemed to like it?"

Darren shot Hermione a glare, not bothering to tell her it didn't help a bit. He hardly ever ate raw meat –he let Vancha do that.

Hermione felt that she should change the subject. "So, where are you going to go, now?"

"I need to get off these grounds before I do anything else," he told her. "Where is this 'Whomping Willow' you were telling me about?"

"It's on the other side of the grounds," she said, gazing across the vast grounds.

Darren cursed silently to himself. He felt weak. He hadn't been this helpless since his first few months as a half-vampire. "What is the fastest way to get there?"

"Through the school, of course," she replied.

"Charna's guts," he mumbled. "Will you take me through it?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "It'll be dangerous," she warned. "It would be safest if we could get Harry's map and cloak..."

"Then we can do that first."

"Okay..." Hermione was nervous. She desperately hoped that Harry would let her use them. She had been so secretive lately. What if he said no? It would certainly make things a lot more complicated.

The two began to make their way to the castle in an awkward silence. Darren was serious and intent, silently beating himself up for getting into such a situation. Hermione was doing much of the same.

_I can't believe I'm leading a vampire into the school! He just _had _to bend those bars and get out... I didn't get as much information as I had hoped, and now I'm helping him escape?! How did this happen!? _Hermione thought all of this, as they grew closer to their destination.

Eventually, they weren't on their way, they were there, standing in front of the large school-building. Hermione was extremely nervous. Very quietly, they snuck in. Darren followed Hermione as she navigated the halls. Once or twice, they nearly ran into someone, but curfew was looming closer, so less and less students roamed the corridors.

After a nearly disastrous trip up the trick stairs, they finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady –the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione ushered Darren to hide behind a statue near the portrait hole, before any students could leave the common room. The Fat Lady stared on, not sure who the boy was, but still allowed Hermione to enter the common room, having seen stranger things.

Once inside, Hermione sought out Harry, who was playing a game of Exploding Snap with Ron. "Harry," she said timidly, trying not to look suspicious, "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Er, sure," Harry replied, his gaze scrutinizing.

"Can I borrow your cloak and map again, please?" she pleaded, hoping that her friend would comply.

"I suppose," Harry said, "it's in the same place as last time."

"Okay," she said, head bobbing, "I'll bring it back soon."

"Alright," Harry said.

Hermione dashed into the boy's dormitory and retrieved both items. Then she ran down the stairs, just as fast, and walked briskly out of the common room, not bothering to look at her two best friends.

* * *

Ron and Harry looked after their friend as she left, confused and hurt by her secrecy.

"Maybe she is seeing someone," Ron commented.

"But this is Hermione. She would tell us if she were, right?" Harry said in reply.

"Yeah, but what if it's just snogging or something and she's ashamed?"

"She isn't really the type, Ron," Harry said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but if not, then it's something pretty bloody important for 'Mione to be sneaking around like she is," Ron said, sounding certain.

"I know."

* * *

Meanwhile, Darren and Hermione were just arriving outside the castle. They had both managed to fit under the cloak and used the map to evade any persons wandering the castle. As they approached the Whomping Willow, Darren stared around, looking for the magical tree and wondering how it got its name.

"There it is," Hermione whispered, not wanting to alert the tree to their presence.

Darren looked up at what seemed to be a normal tree, despite the fact that it was swaying, when there wasn't any wind. They treaded quietly towards the tree, evading any twigs that would crackle under their footsteps.

Eventually, they made their way into the small path in the tree. Doubled over, they half walked, half crawled up the dirt path. But halfway through, they met an obstacle. Darren suddenly fell to the ground, screaming. Hermione cast a silencing charm on him and bit her fingernails nervously wondering what caused this outburst. But, she knew what the real problem was: Darren couldn't get past the wards.


End file.
